Honesdale budget up for public view

The Honesdale Borough Council has made the 2012 budget available for public inspection until February 7. The copy of the tentative budget is available for viewing at the borough building at 958 Main Street. The budget must be adopted by February 13.

In other business, the council approved a suggestion by deputy fire chief Brian Dulay to investigate the installation of a Knox Box Rapid Entry System at large commercial buildings in the borough to avoid unnecessary property damage.

“When we respond to an alarm at a large building this box will be fixed to the building and will contain the key to the door so that we don’t have to break it down,” he said. “Each of our rigs will contain a key to these boxes. The cost of the box is $215 and is cost effective by our not having to break down a door costing about $1,000.”

In other actions by the council, a resident of the borough addressed the council and urged them to pursue the accusation from the former council about the removal of two letters that were written to two police officers stating that they were to be laid-off. It is alleged that the letters were removed from the slot of the police department and not delivered. A motion was made by councilman Bob Jennings that the matter be handed over to the District Attorney and that he forward it to the Attorney General for investigation. The board approved the request, with the exception of Councilman Jim Brennan who abstained since he knew nothing about the matter.

Department of Public Works (DPW) head Rich Doney asked for the council to resolve a dispute between the Stourbridge Railroad and the borough on the issue of plowing snow in the parking lot called the coal pocket behind Main Street. The name comes from a former age when there was a coal company in the space and kept small pockets where the coal was collected in order to later sell it to consumers. .

“We stopped plowing a few years ago because we were not being paid by the railroad,” Doney said. “Since people are paying the borough for the parking space, I feel that we should plow their spaces.”

“I agree,” said Monaghan. “In the 1980s, there was an agreement between the Lackawaxen-Honesdale Shippers Association, the owners of the railroad at that time, the chamber of commerce and the borough that there should be a parking lot in that space and the borough would pay so much money on a monthly basis to use the spaces, Monaghan said. “There are 90 spaces back there. It’s maintenance that’s the problem. The railroad company provides nothing. We cannot get them to do business with us. We want to solve the whole problem, not just the plowing issue.”